6.4 lakh villages to get broadband connectivity

New Delhi, August 5

The Union Cabinet has approved a last-mile broadband connectivity plan for 6.4 lakh villages across the country under the BharatNet project with an outlay of Rs 1.39 lakh crore.

Around 1.94 lakh villages have been connected under the BharatNet project at present. The rest of the villages are likely to be connected in two and a half years.

The decision was taken in a Cabinet meeting on Friday evening. Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), an arm of the state-owned BSNL, will implement the project in partnership by village level entrepreneurs (VLEs).

The model was finalised after successful completion of a pilot project. After initially connecting villages in four districts, the pilot project connected 60,000 villages across states.

Customer equipment and fibre required for connecting houses will be provided by the BBNL and local entrepreneurs will be tasked with maintaining the network.

As many as 3,800 VLEs were involved in the pilot project that was implemented in 60,000 villages. — TNS

1.94L villages connected

Around 1.94 lakh villages have been connected under the BharatNet project at present. The rest of the villages are likely to be connected in two and a half years.